Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
0.58LIKELY
Sadness
0.45UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
0.43UNLIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.59LIKELY
Extraversion
0.43UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
0.81LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
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Sam & Ed were running for the same seat on city council.
Enjoying coffee at a diner's counter, Sam turned to Ed. "I'm gonna win.
Know why?
I tip really well, then ask the server to vote for me."
Ed replied, "I leave a nickel tip & ask them to vote for you, too."
They were using their money shrewdly.
Jesus would commend Sam.
But Ed's method was dishonest.
I don't think Jesus would commend Ed.
But He did commend a dishonest steward.
Why?
Let's look at Lk 16:1-13.
1aJesus told his disciples a story.
1b"A rich farmer accused his manager of squandering his farm's resources 2a& called him in.
Uh-oh! 2b'What's this I hear about you?
Give an account of your management.
Go get your books.
You can't be manager any longer.'
Just what we expect for a bad steward.
3a"The manager is upset.
'What'll I do?
He's taking away my job.
It's all I know.
3bI'm not strong enough to dig (manual labor).
I don't have a trade.
And 3cI'm ashamed to beg.
As his bondservant, I live in his house.
I'll need a new place to live.
4When I lose my job, who'll welcome me into their houses?
Where will I live?
Ah!
I know what I'll do!'
He has a plan...
5a"He called in each of his master's debtors, one by one.
Debtors?
Uh-oh.
Ex 22:25, Lv 25:36, & Dt 23:19 all forbid interest on loans.
But who makes a loan & doesn't make money?
At times people do need to borrow.
But how? Borrow goods, not money.
Bury the interest in the loan.
Need $800?
Write an IOU for grain worth $1000.
Hand it to a lender & walk away with grain worth $800.
No loan, no interest.
Everyone wins.
Everyone did it.
How'd his boss make money?
Bigger IOU values than the value of goods loaned.
How'd he squander his boss's resources?
Theft?
Too low a profit?
"Finder's" fees?
We don't know.
5bHe asked the 1st debtor, 'How much do you owe my master?' Interesting!
The manager has the IOU & the books.
So, he already knows.
Why ask? Psychology.
If the borrower recounts how much he owes, he'll be much more grateful for the relief!
And their culture guarantees reciprocity.
The manager is creating debts they'll pay him back with room & board after he's fired.
Shrewd!
He has a plan.
6" '800 gallons of olive oil,' the debtor replied.
"The manager said, 'Take your bill, sit down & quickly make it 400.' Olive oil's so cheap lenders might ask 100% profit.
But an IOU for 800 gallons?
That'd take >150 olive trees >3 years to produce! (Never mind living expenses.)
It's a huge debt!
The debtor?
No common day laborer!
He's Big Oil for olive oil!
And the rich boss?
He isn't just the Jolly Green Giant of produce.
He's a J. P. Morgan bank, making bank-sized loans.
Having the debtor rewrite the loan amount?
Genius.
He wrote the IOU.
He writes in a new amount & it looks original!
Who'll know?
(Maybe not even the rich master!)
7a"Then he asked the 2nd, 'How much do you owe?' He already knows.
But again, having his debtor recount the debt guarantees gratitude & future room & board.
7b" '1,000 bushels of wheat.'
Again, huge!
To repay takes >100 acres, all farmed by hand.
To buy 1,000 bushels?
7 years earnings for most workers.
It's another huge debt!
He, too, is no common day laborer!
And again, it's a bank-sized loan!
"He told him, 'Take your bill & make it 800.'
Why only a 20%?
Not 100%?
Is he removing a "fee"?
Not likely.
He lives in his master's house & doesn't have any saved wealth for after his job.
Most likely, he's reducing his master's profit.
(half for each debtor?)
Olive oil's markup was much higher than grain's.
Once again, he's squandering his rich master's resources.
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